St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-24
MAY DRUGGISTS X EEP SUNDAY?
A Difference of OpinIOn Expressed
by Physicians and X eepers of Drug

Dlf1erenCe Oh OpIMlOn Expressed
by fhysicians and X eepers Of Drug
Stores.
The opinions of physicians on the ques-
ton of drug stores closing on Sunday after
noon are various, but several who were in
;eryfewed by GLOBE man yesterday
seemed to think that it is bad policy and
dangerous one. DR.. Murphy, about the
best known and oldest practitioner in the
state, said:
i think it is all wrong. Suppose the doc
tors should all agree to take a day off? Sick
people should be treated when the malady is
first discovered, and if medicines prescribed
cannot be procured at once, serious results
are probable.
DR.. Talbot Jones, health officer of the city,
is of a different mind. He says: 1t is all
right for the druggists to close if they want
to- Every physician carries with him GER
tain amount of medicines for use in urgent
cases, and should always go prepared with
remedies in cases of poisoning and the like,
where immediate relief is necessary.
! DR.. Ancker, superintendent of the county
and city hospitals, expresse himself as fol-
lows: l don't think it is good policy but of
course we will get used to it, as we do to
everything else. Druggists ought to hire
enough clerks so they could have their holi-
days without interfering with the constant
running of the pharmacy.
Dr.. Markoe, the county coroner.ls very pro-
nounced in his opposition to the move. Said
he: 1t is an outrage, and | don't think it can
last very long. A doctor can do very little
without medicines, and if the drug stores are
TO be closed the physicians might as well take
Il day off, too.
WHAT DRUGGISTS SAY.
In yesterdays GLOBE "a writer signing
Inself PRO Bono Publico' loudly denounced
the action of druggists for closing their stores
o. Sundays The publication of this commu-
ncation caused no little criticism on the part
of the leading pharmacists, who were loud in
their denunciation of PRO Bono Publico."
r. .. Sweeny, when seen yesterday oy q
GLOBE reporter, said:
IL have been druggist for twenty-five
years. ana in all my experience have never
known anyone to be poisoned on Sunday so
seriously as to require immediate remedies
which could only be procured at chemist.
as all doctors are supposed to have the
necessary antidotes for such emergencies in
their possession. Again, if a man takes
poison on Sunday / see no possible reason
why he should not be made to suffer- as the
agony would have been brought about by his
own foolishness. If an invalid is taken down
suddenly with u quick disease, and is liable
TO die at a moments notice, all the doctors
and druggists in the world could not avert
the catastrophy or ward off the blow. All
the cases mentioned by Pro Bono Pu blico'
are suggestions; the sky might fail, but it
Sunday suffers u dead loss and only drug
stores where soda water is sold in large GUAM
titles can possibly pay expenses. You may add
lhat the Sabbath, in my opinion. is the gen.
eral cleaning and wash day of the masses.
On this day people like to wash up and cut
their cornS and there is an unusually large
demand on such occasions for soap and corn
plaster. Now, them for the benefit of those
who desire TO keep their stores open on Sun
DAY, you can assure them that the law pro-
hibting labors, except Of necessity and mercy,
will be enforced"
Druggist Frost, of the firm of Clark s. Frost
said that 80 per cent of the business trans
acted by chemists ut present on Sundays Is
in unnecessary, and that he had formerly lived
Il city of 10000 inhabitants, where drug stores
were closed regularly every Sunday afternoon,
and he had never known or heard of an in-
valid suddenly dying for want of proper rene
dies. There are three or four drug stores in st
Paul which close at night" added Mr.. Frost,
H'and don't see why they should not all
lutte in closing on the Sabbath. Besides,
there may be, possibly, one case out of ten
where it may be necessary to call up Il drug
2iSt on Sunday, and even then the malady
will not be so serious as to prevent the ply
stefan with supplying the patent with tenn
porary drugs from bis medicine case"
w. ). Getty thought it would be good
plan to have one drug store remain open in
certain districts on Sunday, with Il prescrip-
ton clerk in constant attendance. Each
drug store TO take Il turn at remaining open
during the month. "Al cases of sud den
emergency" said Mr.. Getty could be looked
after by the physician in attendance, who
should certainly be able to afford temporary
relief by supplying the necessary drugs from
his medicine case. Furthermore, collie anG
cholera morbus are amongst the maladies
which require immediate relief, and all ply.
sieians are naturally expected to have the
necessary wherewithal i'll their possession te
cure the severest attacks
Several other druggists interviewed yes
terday we're OF the same opinion, i. e., that
they should